[Francesca13]

Hi Everyone,

I don't even know where to start.

Complicated and rare fertility issues....I have no sense of smell and never started my period....doctors diagnosed me with Kallmann Syndrome due to low FSH and LH and told me that injections would be a failsafe way for us to start a family.

I only produced one follie my first cycle at 19.5 mm (admittedly on a lose dose), and produced four last cycle but they all stopped growing around 12-14 mm. My E2 has had trouble both cycles.

About a month ago, the results of my karotype test revealed some chromosomal abnormalities. The geneticists at U of M told me that I don't really "have" Turner Syndrome because I basically have no real symptoms, but that it may effect my fertility. Since my last cycle was so awful, today I went in to have my AMH drawn to see what my ovarian age/reserve looks like. I just have a really bad feeling that the results are not going to be good.

I have no idea where we will go from here. Will they let me try a 3rd cycle of injectibles, perhaps "upping" the dose? (I was on 150 units of Menopur last month.) I have a feeling all roads lead to donor eggs, which has been a hard pill to swallow but I'm actually getting kind of excited about it. It's just very hard to change expectations so frequently...the ups and downs are very difficult.

Anyway, I'm wondering if any of you have had the experience of using a sister as your donor egg. My sister is 26 and ovulates normally....even though she's waaayyy better looking than me, we have been confused for twins and I'm excited about the possibility of using her eggs. My husband and parents are completely on board, and my sister was super excited about the possibility, too. If DE are the route we take, do they provide counseling for this? I'm wondering what kinds of things we should be taking into account if this is a venture we're going to take.

Just wanted to say "hi" and share my experience since I'll probably be hanging out here for awhile. Hope all of you are finding success with your donors and get that you've been waiting for.

[Rachel38]

Glad I am first to greet you. The IVF Cycle with DE II thread is a great one to meet people and find phenomenal support. My DH has many MF issues...low motility and low count. I did not have any issues until I turned 38 and found out that I have DOR now due to age and PROBABLY (although some docs deny this) years of fertility treatments. They tried everything with us...BC cycles to suppress then shock, new IUI cycles, IVF, New Stim protocols...the road lead us to DE. We reached the "enough is enough" point. I would set a real timeline for you and DH and not delay too long. If you do DE, think long and hard about using a sibling or friend. The emotionality of it may rear its head at some point and you are forced to hold the reality of a connection, that no matter how genetically perfect it may be, it may also be "too close to home". If you think about it, you will understand. We had an odd thing happen as we were going to use a friend and it for awhile put a strain on the friendship. I met someone on another site who used her sister and said it was a horrible decision. The sister throws it in her face and she lives in constant fear the child will be confused later in life. "Is she my Mom or my aunt?" If your sister is amazing and kind and you feel confident she would never do that, I still recommend family counseling prior to making that decision. If all goes well then go ahead! it will save you money and provide the closest genetic connection you can get. Welcome again and best of luck.